hours is anything to stress about. Still, I can be at the airport when his flight gets in.”
“The airport is a couple hours from here,” Rael told him. “Maybe three if the snow is bad.”
“And it’s not like we haven’t got space to put him up. There’s plenty of room. Which reminds me….” Roadkill inclined his head toward Dellan. “Where’s he gonna sleep? On this floor, we’ve got two loft bedrooms. Plus there are three beds on the floor below this one, along with a couple of couches.” His eyes twinkled. “We do not have a bed big enough to fit you two and a tiger. Just saying.”
Rael glanced at Horvan. “I think we make him comfortable out there in the living room area. We can take one of the loft bedrooms. That way we’re close if he needs us. There’s space enough for him.”
Horvan agreed.
“Then me, Crank, and Hashtag will sleep downstairs. Two of us can share when the doc gets here. Not like we haven’t done that before, right?”
Hashtag chuckled. “Dibs on not sharing a bed with Crank. He has wandering hands when he sleeps.” He winked. “Although between us, I’m not one hundred percent convinced it’s subconscious behavior.”
“I heard that!” Crank hollered from the kitchen. Rael and Hashtag laughed.
Roadkill got to his feet. “Then let’s get a list together, and I’ll go to the store for supplies. I’ll take Crank.” He peered at Hashtag. “You’ll wanna set up the perimeter cameras, right?”
Hashtag nodded. “I’ll get onto that now. And by the way, boys—we made the national news.” He grinned. “Of course, the animal rights groups are taking all the credit, but I think we’ll allow them that, right? And speaking of them….” He disappeared for a moment, then returned, carrying a folder he handed to Horvan. “In case we get any visitors who spot Dellan.”
“What’s in there?” Rael asked.
“Forged papers that say Dellan is a legally acquired animal,” Horvan told him, peering inside the folder. “I got Hashtag to procure them for us.”
“Forged?” Rael appeared appalled.
Hashtag snorted. “You don’t think those papers Anson’s secretary referred to are real, do you? We know they’re not, because we know Dellan was not found in some drug dealer’s basement. Well, if he can have forged papers, so can we.” He walked over and patted Rael’s shoulder kindly. “But we’re the good guys.”
Hashtag left the room, Roadkill behind him.
“Don’t forget to take plenty of cash!” Horvan called out after Hashtag.
“Oh, gee, why didn’t I think of that?” His voice was heavy with sarcasm.
“Why cash?” Rael asked. “Put it all on a card.”
“We never use credit cards on a mission. Too easily traced. And we want to stay under the radar. That goes for you too.” When Rael frowned, Horvan shook his head. “Think about it. You went to see Anson, and you paid a lot of attention to the tiger, didn’t you? Stands to reason Anson is gonna check you out, or at least check out your whereabouts. And he’s not gonna be able to find you. Which reminds me. I’ll give you a cell to use. You can’t use yours.”
Rael sighed. “And this is how you live all the time? How do you cope?” He put his arms around Dellan’s neck and rubbed his face in the thick fur there.
Horvan moved until he was kneeling beside them both. “It’s how I’ve lived up till now. But things change. Now I have two mates to think of. I guess that means taking a look at how I want my future to be.”
The loud growl that shattered the peaceful moment came from Dellan’s stomach.
Horvan got to his feet. “I think it’s time we all ate something, don’t you?” He scritched behind Dellan’s ears again. “And I know where there’s a big juicy steak or two with your name on them.”
Dellan was out of the small bathroom in a heartbeat.
“There’s nothing wrong with his hearing,” Rael commented.
What raised Horvan’s spirits was the fact that Dellan was clearly understanding speech better than before.
Maybe whatever they gave him is wearing off. Even through their link, Horvan caught the hopeful note in Rael’s voice.
God, I hope so.
HORVAN HAD to admit, Rael had done them proud. The cabin was perfect for their needs. The beds up in the loft rooms were a good size, and the ladders going up to them were a charming feature. A thick wooden beam ran across the ceiling from one side of the cabin to the other. The stove belted out a